Multiscale fluidic structureThe integrated silicon pillar array is composed of 18 micron tall 800 nm wide pillars in a hexagonal arrangement. The interstitial spaces between pillars form an ordered network of nanofluidic channels. The bifurcating (tree-like) system of channels provide an interface between the network of nanopores and the macroscopic experimental environment.

Materials Science and Engineering

Materials science and engineering - the study of the structure and properties of materials and their applications - has grown enormously in recent years, including research at the nanoscale level, where the physical and chemical properties of materials, controlled by quantum effects, are quite different from their properties at the molecular or macroscale levels.

Programs at UT Knoxville and ORNL in materials science and engineering are nationally and internationally recognized for their contributions to our fundamental understanding and technological applications of advanced materials at the nano-, meso-, and macro-length scales. These programs have contributed to the recent growth of advanced technologies with applications to computers, electronics, medicine, transportation, aerospace, energy, and the environment.

ORNL is home to an extraordinary collection of facilities for materials research, including